Vanity Fair
by XadventXshadowX
Summary: I month after AC. Kadaj,Loz,and Yazoo survived. Just when they start to have a normal life, three strangers crash into it.How do they know so much about the SHMs? And why does one of them look so much like Yazoo? Rated T for future language.MY FIRST FIC!
1. prologue

**Vanity Fair**

**disclaimer: if I owned FFVII I'd be a rich Japanese man. All OC's are mine though!**

**summary: Post AC. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo survived. Just when they start to have a normal life, three new people crash into it.**

**How do they know so much about the SHMs? And why does one of them look so much like Yazoo?**

**Vanity Fair**

_**Prologue**_

**A month had passed since the attempted reunion. This had settled down quite a bit for them. Kadaj didn't hear**

**Jenova anymore. No more voices, no more dreams, no more pain. The three of them had survived somehow. Kadaj **

**said something about a "nice lady" telling him that they had a second chance.**

**They'd all changed quite a bit. Kadaj was no different than any other seventeen year old. Loz had grown up quite**

**a bit. Matured a lot. He didn't cry as much, hardly at all in fact. Being twenty-one, he'd slowly but surely assumed his role **

**as the oldest.**

**And Yazoo? Well, Yazoo was Yazoo. Still quiet, still reserved, and still mysterious. He'd actually seemed to darken up**

**a bit. He'd spent most of his time locked in his room, and he tended to avoid most people. At times, even his brothers.**

**They'd undergone a change in appearance as well. Kadaj had suggested it, saying that they wouldn't want to be **

**recognized just yet. Now the three of them sported jet black hair, though Yazoo, ever the individualist, had kept a small **

**patch of his hair its natural silver.(A/N: think rogue from x-men) He hadn't answered when Kadaj asked him why. He was just **

**different. And he could be, in Kadaj's words, "pretty damn scary when he wanted to be." So, naturally, Yazoo used this to his **

**to his advantage.**

**They had all gotten jobs and lived in an abandoned house in a small town outside of Edge. Life was going well for them.**

**Or so it seemed.**

**There always seemed to be a small sense of danger lingering in the air. There was no mistake about it either, they could **

**all feel it. However, they didn't worry too much. After all, AVALANCHE was still around. Cloud and his friends could handle any**

**threat that came their way. **

**Unfortunately for the three of them, they'd soon find out just how wrong they were.**

**A/N**

**so what do you think? it's my first fic, so please be nice. i'm always open to suggestions, so review please!**


	2. Ch1: aftershock

**Vanity Fair**

**disclaimer: if I owned FFVII I'd be a rich Japanese man. All OC's are mine though!**

**summary: Post AC. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo survived. Just when they start to have a normal life, three new people crash **

**into it. How do they know so much about the SHMs? And why does one of them look so much like Yazoo? **

**Vanity Fair**

_**chapter one: aftershock**_

**To anyone else, he was just an average kid. To those who knew of him, he was a heartless murderer. That's why**

**they'd come here. A small town on the outskirts of Edge. Not many people lived here. Probably about one hundred if**

**he had to guess. Being so close to Edge, those people knew exactly who, and _what_ he and his brothers were, as well **

**as what they'd done. What _he'd_ done. However, not one of them held it against them. Kadaj even had friends now.**

**At the moment he was outside the town, racing one of those very friends to test out new motorbikes via the track **

**they had made, and another stood at the finish line to see who would win. Hard to believe that this was his "job." Building**

**and repairing motorbikes. He loved it.**

**As they rounded the final turn, an explosion-like sound came from the direction of Edge. Kadaj stopped his bike**

**abruptly and ran to the nearby cliff to get a better look. A cloud of smoke hovered above where the ShinRa building **

**used to stand. **

**"What _was _that?" his friend asked, pulling off his helmet and looking towards Edge.**

**Kadaj shook his head. "I don't know."**

**"Must've been one hell of an accident," the boy replied, brushing his dark brown bangs away from his green eyes.**

**"No," Kadaj whispered.**

**"Huh?"**

**"I don't think it was an accident."**

**"Yeah, I think he's right," the third, a blonde girl with brown eyes, said, coming up beside them, "it was too accurate."**

**It was silent for a moment, until Kadaj's cell-phone went off, causing all three teens to jump slightly. He flipped **

**it open."Hello?...Yeah, we heard it...I don't know...yeah, I'm gonna go check it out...don't worry, Loz, I won't get **

**caught...okay...he did?...he has?...alright, I'll see if I can find him." **

**He closed his cell and turned back towards his motorbike.**

**"What's the assignment?" the boy, Ace, asked jokingly.**

**"One: examine attack site. Two: find Yazoo."**

**"Did he run off _again?_" The girl, Livia, asked, rolling her eyes.**

**"Yeah, apparently he's been gone all day," Kadaj answered,"Let's go."**

**Ace mock-saluted him as he and Livia got on their bikes to follow Kadaj into Edge.**

**There was nobody on the streets when they got there. 'Odd,' Kadaj thought, though he was slightly relieved. He **

**definately didn't want to be recognized, especially since a building had just been attacked. The ShinRa building, no less.**

**Speaking of which, he looked up in time to see what was left of it. Windows were missing, walls had crumbled, rubble **

**covered most of the perimeter. It looked like a bomb had gone off. 'Explains the sound,' he thought. He noted three people**

**searching through the rubble, and he recognized all of them.**

**"Looks like Cloud had the same idea," he said.**

**"You mean, these guys are part of AVALANCHE?" Ace asked. Kadaj nodded.**

**"Come on, man. It's a babe, a ninja chick, and an old guy for cryin' out loud. You can't be serious."**

**"He is, Ace. They're Tifa Lockhart, Yuffie Kisaragi, and Cid Highwind...right Kadaj?"**

**"Yeah, I think so. I really only know about Tifa...since she's the one that beat the hell out of Loz."**

**"Man, your big, tough brother got his ass whipped by a chick? How wrong is that!" Ace laughed.**

**"Yeah, it was pretty funny," he admitted.**

**Livia glared at them. "Are you two implying that girls are weak? 'Cause if you are, then I'll be glad to prove you _both_ wrong **

**here and now," she threatened.**

**"Nah, would want you to break a nail, Livi," Ace said.**

**Livia sent him a death glare from the depths of hell itself and Ace burst out laughing, causing Tifa to look back at them. And**

**of course, being the intelligent, alert, teenagers that they were, they didn't notice her until she was a mere five feet away.**

**"And just what are you three doing out here? This is a bomb site, it's pretty dangerous, you know," Tifa said in that sweet**

**voice of hers. She had a smile on her face but her eyes were skeptical.**

**"Hey, no worries babe, that's why we're here," Ace chimed. Livia shot him yet another glare and Kadaj rolled his eyes.**

**"Thank you, Ace, you _idiot_," he muttered. Tifa turned to look at him, not seeing his eyes because he looked, rather _stared_, at the**

**ground, his now-black hair sheilding his mako-green eyes from her chocolate ones. **

**"I know you from somewhere," she said,"have we met?"**

**"Not officially."**

**"Well, I'm Tifa. Tifa Lockhart."**

**"Very nice to meet you Miss Lockhart. I'm Ace, and this here is Livia. And this..."**

**"ACE! Shut.UP!" Livia shouted, quite annoyed with her friend.**

**"I know who you are," Kadaj responded quietly, still not looking up. **

**"Hey, Kat(1), we should really find your brother."**

**He paused for a moment. "Yeah."**

**Livia and Ace headed back out to the main road. Sighing, Kadaj turned to scan the building, which he quickly regretted, for **

**it gave Tifa a perfect look at his all too familiar eyes and face, and she knew him instantly. "Hey!" she yelled, anger flooding her eyes.**

**He snapped his gaze to her and she swore he looked completely terrified. She raised a fist to deliver a blow and he shut his eyes tightly, **

**bracing himself for the blow. He'd been hit before, it was no big deal. Eyes still firmly shut, he called to his friends.**

**"Ace, Livia, go find him!" he yelled shakily. They nodded and drove off, knowing it was pointless to argue with him.**

**"Get off the bike, you're not going anywhere," Tifa said firmly. To her surprise, he did what he was told. She lowered her fist but kept**

**alert for an attack.**

**"You can open your eyes, you know," she said, "Cid! Yuffie!"**

**"Great..." he muttered, staring at the ground, which had suddenly become _very_ interesting.**

**"What is it Tifa? Did you find...oh _yes _you _did,_" the ninja said.**

**"Damn kid I'm gonna..." Cid began, a look of insane rage in his eyes.**

**"Cid..." Tifa warned.**

**Tifa returned her gaze to Kadaj, who still hadn't looked up.**

**"You know, if you tell us why you're here, we won't hurt you,"she said.**

**"The hell I won't!" Cid yelled, balling his fists and approaching Kadaj, causing the teen to flinch slightly.**

**"Give it a rest, Cid," Yuffie said.**

**"Well?" Tifa asked.**

**"I...We heard the explosion. We just wanted to see what happened."**

**"So you didn't have anything to do with this?" Tifa tested.**

**He shook his head.**

**"Tifa, we're heading back. Cloud's gonna flip when he hears this one," Yuffie said.**

**Kadaj's head snapped up."No! He doesn't need to know. Nobody needs to know. I won't even come back, I swear. Just...please...don't **

**tell Cloud!" **

**"We have to tell him," Tifa said. She waved her hand to signal Yuffie and Cid to leave. Kadaj sat down on his bike, his head in his hands.**

**"Why didn't I just listen to Loz?" he muttered.**

**"Hey, you don't have to worry. Cloud's really very understanding. I'm sure he's already forgiven you for what you did," she said with an**

**encouraging smile.**

**"Yeah, but he thought I was dead. It's easy to forgive someone once they're dead. I should know," he said, staring at nothing in particular.**

**She raised an eyebrow, "and how's that?"**

**"I just know, okay?" he snapped. **

**Tifa looked at him pitifully. His cell went off, causing him to jump again. He flipped it open. "...what?...no, I havn't found him yet...I don't **

**know what happened, Loz...I was...no...(sigh) you worry too much...Yeah, okay." He hung up the phone and rolled his eyes. He got back**

**on his bike. "I have to go."**

**"And where would you be going?"**

**"To find Yazoo. He disappeared and I'm _supposed_ to be looking for him."**

**"Oh. Well, if I see him, I'll tell him to look for you."**

**"Thanks, but he won't listento you. He never listens anymore," he said before driving off. Yazoo had apparently been gone since four in **

**the morning. It was getting dark, and Kadaj was starting to worry.**

**A/N**

**1: Kat is Kadaj's nickname given by Livia. (because of his eyes) **

**well, do you like? I'm working on CH 2 as we speak, but I need some ideas. review please! **


	3. Ch2: finding you

**Vanity Fair**

**sorry i took so long, i havn't had time to write, as i was moving for quite a while. well, here it is.**

**disclaimer: if I owned FFVII I'd be a rich Japanese man. All OC's are mine though!**

**summary: Post AC. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo survived. Just when they start to have a normal life, three new people crash **

**into it. How do they know so much about the SHMs? And why does one of them look so much like Yazoo? **

** Vanity Fair**

_**chapter two: finding you**_

Where **was** he? It was dark in Edge, probably around ten o' clock. Livia had called to say they hadn't found Yazoo. Kadaj was really worried now. After searching the whole city, he'd determined his brother wasn't in Edge. But Kadaj, stubborn as he was, refused to stop looking. Sighing, he turned his bike and headed out of Edge and towards the forgotten capital. The forest held many memories, but he thought maybe, just maybe, he'd find Yazoo there.

It took half an hour to reach the old base. When he got there, he felt a wave of releif at the site of his brother's motorbike. He parked his own and around the base towards the lake. And there was Yazoo, just as he predicted. He sat by the edge of the water, gazin gblankly into its depths. Kadaj noticed the hazy look in his brother's eyes, like he was off in some other world, as he didn't seem to have noticed Kadaj yet.

"I've been lookin g for you **all **day," he said. Yazoo blinked, not breaking his gaze from the water's surface, but tilted his head a little. "You have?"

Kadaj sat down next to his brother. "We all have."

"Why?"

Kadaj blinked at this. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you've been gone since, like, **four ** this morning, and havn't been back since."

"Was it really that early? I didn't realize."

"What's up with you lately, Yaz? Loz says you've been acting...different."

"I guess I've just...changed."

"Yeah, you have. Loz said he didn't think it was a good change, either."

"Maybe not."

Kadaj rolled his eyes. "You don't even seem to care."

"Maybe I don't."

Kadaj stood to go back to his bike. "Maybe you should," he snapped, "I'll see you at home."

And with that, Kadaj started his bike and left the forest.

Yazoo stayed silent. He place his hand on his left arm, feeling the sticky liquid through his sleeve. He turned his head to his Velvet Nightmare, resting beside him, before turning to look at his reflection in the water. He shut his eyes tightly to fight the tears threatening to fall and whispered, "Would you notice?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Yazoo didn't return home until early the next morning, after he'd gotten off work. Loz and Kadaj had already left, by the looks of things. He himself worked night at the town's bar. The house was empty, which he was glad for. He preferred being alone sometimes. He'd always locked himself up from everyone else when his brothers were home. Shutting the door meant shutting them out from his problems. He'd always felt like a useless part in the search for Jenova. He'd never viewed himself as important, so he simply followed orders. When he and Loz found Cloud after the fight with Kadaj/Sephiroth, he was more than willing to die.

He knew he was hiding, but he didn't care. He knew Loz worried. Kadaj didn't notice, after all, he was hardly ever there. Loz had tried numerous times to get him to come out, ut he'd just kept quiet until his older brother gave up. He'd stared eating less, and eventually stopped all

together. In fact, he hadn't eaten in three days, or slept in four. He'd just stare at the walls blankly, thinking about how happy they'd be without him. Loz wouldn't have to worry about him anymore, and Kadaj...he might be upset at first, but he'd get over it. He'd planned it so many different ways, written countless notes, even tried a few times, but could never bring himself to do it successfully.

He'd been sitting in the silence of his room for he didn't know how long now. It must've been a while, because the sun had gone down and he heard the door close downstairs, followed by the slow, heavy footsteps of his older brother. They slowly and steadily approached his door, which he'd absentmindedly left open before lying down and staring at the ceiling.

Loz stopped and looked at him, which he didn't notice, considering he was now staring at the window, which was covered by a sheer black curtain that blended into the walls.

"Are you going to tell me or should I guess?" Loz asked.

"...tell you what?"

Loz walked into the dark room and sat on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong?"

Yazoo pondered telling the truth for a moment, but quickly evaded the thought from his mind, answering with a simple " it's nothing."

Hopefully, Loz would take the hint. Unfortunately, this time, he wasn't that lucky.

"It's not nothing. Have you seen yourself lately? You're paler, thinner than usual, and your eyes are all red and glassy. What's wrong with you, Yazoo?" Loz looked as if he would cry, which he hadn't done in a while. Yazoo mentally kicked himself. Loz wasn't blind, of course he'd notice a change in appearence. Yazoo stood. "I don't want to talk about it," he said almost inaudibly as he walked past Loz to get to the door. He headed downstairs. Hopefully Kadaj wouldn't be home yet. He wasn't.

Yazoo went out the back, his prized possession, a velvet black guitar, strapped to his back. He followed a path that led into the woods surrounding the house. As he reached them, he heard a motorbike engine. Either Loz had come after him, or Kadaj returned surprisingly early. He supposed it was the former. When Loz worried, he'd keep asking questions until he got to the bottom of the problem.

Nevertheless, Yazoo kept walking. He didn't know where he was going, or even whereabouts he was, but he didn't care. Eventually, the sound of the motorbike died out. Only then did he look up to find himself in the slums in Edge. He knew the place all too well. This was where 'brother' lived.

Then it hit him. If Cloud saw him, he'd get suspicious. Suspicion led to anger. Yazoo didn't think he could take it if someone else were to be upset with him. He upset Loz, gotten Kadaj angry, and upset himself as well. He knew he needed help, but his pride yelled at him for being weak.

It was then that he heard the voices. Two, a man and a woman. They sounded vaugly familiar, and his curiosity caused him to go towards the source.

"What do you mean he's alive?" the man asked.

"It's not such a bad thing, Cloud. He's different."

"Tifa, even if he is alive...what could one month really change?"

"Cloud, I know you're worried, but he really has changed. He looked so...scared."

Yazoo watched them silently. It was, in fact, Cloud and the dark haired woman Loz had fought in the church. He slid down a wall and rested his arms across his bent knees, simply watching. He wasn't surprised that they didn't notice him. After all, few people did.

Cloud had left by the time he looked up again. Tifa was slumped against a wall, and Yazoo could make out small sobs. Cloud had made her cry. He wondered what Cloud could've said to upset her, but contradicted himself for caring. He didn't care about anything, right? 'Right,' he thought. "Hmph." Standing, he decided to start walking again. He slung his guitar back around his shoulder, and looked up to see that he stood in front of a bar/inn. The sign on the door read 'Seventh Heaven.'

Someone cleared their throat behind him, and he turned around to meet Tifa's gaze. " It seems I'm runnin ginto all of you these days," she said, wiping her eyes dry.

"..."

She smiled slighly. "Yazoo, I presume? Kadaj mentioned something about you yesterday. I think he was trying to find you."

He turned away from her. "He did," he answered icily. Not that he meant to sound cold, it was just how he was nowadays.

Tifa, however, seemed unphased. "Oh, he did? I see. Well, it seems you've run off again. And when are you planning to go back?"

He looked at her quizzically as she placed a hand on her hip.

" In case I happen to see him again," she answered.

" I'm not going back, " he said sadly.

Tifa's smile faded. " And why not, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Why do you care?" he asked.

She seemed hurt by the question, and started to turn away. Yazoo mentally kicked himself before stopping her.

"I'm sorry, it's just, no one usually does. I'm not quite used to it yet."

"That's too bad."

" Is it? I wouldn't know."

"Well, I'm sure your brothers care about you. I don't think they'd want you to run away on them."

He leaned against a wall, arms folded across his chest.

"Maybe, but by the time they figured out I wasn't coming back, I'd be too far gone for them to stop me."

Tifa gazed up at the night sky and sighed. "Well, it's getting late. If you're not going back, why don't you stay here for a while?" She asked, motioning to her bar/inn. "It's been so quiet since...well, you know. It'd be nice to have some company."

"You'd...actually want me to stay with you?"

She smiled and nodded. "It'd be nice to have a new friend. For the both of us," she said before going inside.

' A friend?' he thought. He turned back towards the direction of the village and whispered a silent goodbye before following Tifa inside.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**well, sorry it took so long. i hope the chapter turned out okay. as you may have noticed, characters are ooc, but it is after the movie after all. and yes, as you may have guessed, yazoo is, in fact, suicidal. but i think with tifa in his life now, he may begin to see the light. new chapter hopefully soon! (if i don't get writer's block, that is.)**

**please review, i could use some ideas! **


End file.
